(Wow, these are becoming quite popular Well, with a bit of convincing from Tig, here's my self-rp. This is for Web and Brittle, also explaining their closeness and such, and Web was getting jealous... It's actually their first meeting, so enjoy )

“So,isittobeyou?”

“Isuppose,wearebothherearen’twe?”

Web sighed in distaste. Having a partner was bad enough, but this was worse. She had expected her mistress to pair her with another female, as it was her trend, but…

The stallion before her did not impress her...okay, maybe a little. He looked to be a little older than she, a warrior of impressive build, she could judge it in his stance and the way his muscles rippled slightly under the bicolor coat of crimson and sand. Two devilish horns curled over scarlet eyes, an iridescent shade that shifted with the shadows and moonlight. She had only seen those eyes on one other stallion, but these held a whole different light than Chaos’s burning, fire-touched orbs.

Chaos…

She shook her head. It was not time to think of him. She gave her partner a look over once more. Arrogant, powerful enough to be deserving of it, he likely would get himself injured for some stupid reason because he sure as hell would not give up on it, but controlled, it would need a lot to make him lose it. He was a fine warrior, but perhaps chauvinistic, yes, by the way he was eyeing her, and a womanizer too…

Most would not know this at first look, but she was used to picking apart others at a glance, it was in her training. If he was anything of a warrior, he would be doing it to her as well…

Cold, yes, it was rolling off her in waves. Calm, she had noticed him eyeing and did nothing, so patient perhaps as well. A strategist, she would not rush in, but she would be a fighter, he could see it in the small scars almost invisible under her ebony coat. Intelligent too, masterfully so, perhaps a bit sadistic, she could probably pick apart anyone’s mind. Oh, arrogant as well…

Web led her companion through the twisted ebon maze of dead trees her mistress laughingly called a forest. The pendant around neck shimmered slightly, telling her they were going in the right direction. They hadn’t said a word since the first meeting, but it was fine by her.

“Istillhaven’tlearnedyourname,mydarkangel.”

So much for that. His tone was mild enough, not sincere, because then she would’ve laughed, but dark and slightly sensual. It succeeded in pissing her off. That was not easy to do in a few words.

She kept walking, refusing to look at the other stallion. “Iamnotyouranything.Namesarenotimportantforthismission,besides,yourmistresslikelyalreadytoldyou.”

She could almost feel him grin. “Thenyouwouldn’tmindifIcalledyouloverforthiswholeexpedition,ifnamesarenotimportantafterall.”

Web gave him a sweet smile. The stallion gave her one back, throwing in a devilish wink. He was almost like Chaos in that manner, but Chaos…

Was not concerned in this matter.

“Hm,andwouldmydarkangelliketoknowthatforafact?”

“Onlyifmyaikoukawouldnotmindlosingthem.”

They had exited the forest in their happy little banter, and the crystal around Web’s throat danced in the setting moonlight. It would be day soon, day in this realm was scorching. She hated the day, and it would still be miles till their destination.

The nicknames were getting lamer, and more annoying. Web was hot and tired and about ready to collapse under the sun, but like hell was she going to show it. Her black coat only absorbed the heat of the near wasteland, and the sunlight was being particularly vicious today. Oh yeah, well screw you too, gods I hate the sun…

Brittle on the other hand seemed quite at home in the heat. She did know his name, her mistress had been kind enough to tell her. She also knew he was from the altar of the Red Sands, which meant the jerk was quite comfy, darn him…

But she was not going to show weakness. She represented her mistress in this whole alliance, unwilling as she was, she was not going to give this stallion a sense of superiority greater than he already had.

“Thebook,theArcanum,aswellasthecirclet,” she answered quietly, still holding on to that cold tone. “Mymistressdiscoveredtheexistenceandwhereaboutsoftheartifacts,soshelaysclaimtotwo.WeseektheArcanum.”

It was rare the sisters ever found something important enough to form an alliance over, and apparently these four artifacts were worth it. Which meant they were extremely rare, or extremely powerful.

There was an odd pause. The heat only made Web more caustic than before. She gave a sidelong glance at her stallion companion. “What?Areyouafraidaijin?Don’tworryI’llprotectyou.”

Brittle gave her a glare, which she found odd. So far he had been teasing, semi-vicious but never downright angry. But she didn’t back down, only met his gaze coolly, arrogantly. Which apparently was the worse thing she could’ve done.

Brittle snorted and trotted on ahead of her, not leaving her behind, he wasn’t that stupid, but he didn’t say anything to her the whole day. She convinced herself that she was happy with the silence.

Brittle was impressed with the mare. Web, that was her name. They had walked the whole day through the searing heat, and not once had she faltered or even asked for his help. It was hot, even for him, but she was of the Deep Shadows, and they were often not inclined to such conditions.

Of course, he still was angry with her. Even though it was not her fault, she couldn’t have possibly known. Still, it…

“Areyoustillsulkingkoibito?” came the cutting voice. The mare wasn’t asleep yet, even though she must have been exhausted from the day’s toils. He looked over at her, kneeling on the sand, studying him with those sensual, dark blood eyes.

Oh, so playing the old ‘for the sake of duty’ game. He smiled. “AndifIwishtoretainmyairofmystery,ohprettyone?”

Web glared at him. Oh, if looks could kill, or in his case, castrate…

“I’mgoingtosleep,” she said shortly. “Asshouldyou.Whenthemoonpeakswewilltravelagain.”

Brittle grimaced. So now she wanted to call the shots? Albeit he realized she was smarter than him and knew more about the situation, but…

He didn’t like taking orders from females, having Sanguine as bonded was hard enough. But oddly enough, he didn’t want to rouse anymore of the mare’s anger, as tired as she was. She had garnered his respect.

Yet a question still lingered in his mind.

“Thiscastleofmemories,whyisittitledso?”

Web furrowed her closed eyes. She was tired, she wanted to sleep, was that too much to ask from an arrogant jerk?

“I’msureit’snothing,” she snapped, eager to bury the matter and drift off. There had been a warning in the scriptures, a description and stuff but most of these old castles were choked up with lore. “It’sprobablynamedforsomeinanereason,justignoreit.”

They reached the castle midday. Maybe once it might’ve been an impressive structure, but no more. The black gothic structure seemed to have fallen in on itself, eroded by the dust and sand. Half of the roof had caved in, as had some pillars, towers and walls, broken black stone pieces littered the ground. It shimmered under the blazing sun, whether from the heat or…

Web could vaguely feel the strands of ancient enchantment, sparse, that drifted about the toppled monolith. Brittle probably didn’t, he being a warrior and not inclined to magic. Besides, the impulse was weak; it wouldn’t be much of a problem.

Sand stung her eyes. Better get this book and get going. Honestly, why did she need a partner for this? Just some alliance failsafe, to make sure her mistress would not run away with the power.

“Youlookalittlefaint,ladylove…”

Was it just her or was there concern in his voice? No, just the heat getting to her. She pressed on toward the great doors, semi-crooked on their latches. “Iamfine.Come.”

Brittle followed her, secretly enjoying the nice view he got of her rear. This mission was easier than he expected. He hoped the others would be alright. Id, he’d heard, was with that ex little temptress Eve. He snorted. Id, no carnal desire and he gets the hot and willing one. Life is not fair. And Hinote was with his siblings, oh, that was sure to be a fun party…

Web nudged the door open, then leapt back as it tipped to the side wildly and crashed to the ground, throwing dust everywhere. She coughed and shielded her eyes, glancing inside the compound. It was surprisingly dark, save for the rents of light torn in the floors above, where the sun shone in white with heat. Oh, and silent as a tomb, the door’s crash echoing through the halls.

How predictably foreboding…

She kicked up with her wings and glided over the door, landing in on the cool black marble floor, coated with stray sand. Brittle’s landing echoed her own, sharp in the eerie silence.

“Sonowwhere,littledarkangel?”

The pendant danced toward the dark hall before them, crested by two twisted gargoyles. She headed into the darkness, disappearing into the dappled shadows. Brittle followed, his senses alert. Something about this place seemed wrong, oh so very wrong…

The harsh stabs of white light had disappeared awhile back, and they now traveled in complete darkness. Web, being of Deep Shadows, had abnormally sharp vision in the dark, but this blackness was complete, like a void. Only her steps echoed a floor, and Brittle’s behind her. She oddly took comfort in his presence, and was glad that he opted to remain silent and not rouse her irritation.

Brittle, meanwhile, was extremely uncomfortable with the situation. The only reason he could find his way in this retched tunnel was the sound of Web’s easy footsteps. Hell, he didn’t even know if it was Web he was following, but if it wasn’t, he was sure he could kill it easily. It was her he was worried about…

A light glimmered from ahead. Web could felt he enchantment around her, radiating from that point. It was stronger than she had first sensed, the ancient magic weaving through the air. Such power, to disguise it so well.

“...Web?”

The stallion’s voice was uneasy, betraying in tone and the use of her true name, but at this point, she didn’t feel it was proper to tease him. If it was strong enough for a non-magical warrior to sense…

“Beonyourguard.”

They neared the glow, a soft, eerie blue-white that shimmered before them, illuminating an open door. The hall was already longer than the outside ruin. The castle itself was alive, twisting around them. She felt Brittle quicken his pace, and brush against her flank as he passed her. Oh, so he wanted to play protector.

She nipped his side sharply. “Letme.Itismagicthatweareagainst,sorry,aikouka,butyou’reuselessagainstit.”

Before he had a chance to respond, she pushed past him and into the glow.